Hawkins: "The browser has already won on the PC"

This guy won't be popular among the (still very active) real hardcore PC gamers crowd. Simple browser games are being played a lot (school, work, facebook, on mobile in the bus), but it's a complete different subject than real PC games. Don't try to put everything in the same basket. I wouldn't want real game developers stop making good games and go towards quick time-wasting casual games because of misinterpretation of articles like that.

Edited 1 times. Last edit by Pier Castonguay on 29th June 2011 9:31pm

Posted:A year ago

Surely the browser is only as good as its machine - i.e the PC, peripheral, tablet or smartphone.

So to say, the browser has won is a bit of a early jump/mumbo jumbo soothsaying.
As much as one would say the PC platform is diminished, we may yet see a resurgence due to Online explosion of various fremium/online play

Posted:A year ago

Wasn't aware who Trip Hawkins is, but reading his wikipedia page explain a lot. He tried to do real games, failed miserably, turned to easy casual games, managed to get some sales so he's happy. He might be happy with his personal story, but he shouldn't try to push others to imitate him.

Posted:A year ago

"Browsers are great" says owner of big browser games company.

Posted:A year ago

Another "the-field-in-which-my-company-exists-will-dominate-all-others-and-every-other-field-is-doomed" PR moment?

Posted:A year ago

Trip poo pooing competition back in the early 90s:
[link url=http://www.atarimax.com/freenet/freenet_material/9.JaguarSupportArea/3.ReferenceDesk/3.8NewReleasesandArticles/showarticle.php?58
]http://www.atarimax.com/freenet/freenet_...[/link]
(Ok, the CDi and Jaguar hardly set the world alight, but I believe they still sold more than the 3DO? Sega and Nintendo's toys still did ok, excluding the 32X, until Sony's CD based toy sold a couple of units).

And our expert on Xbox being doomed to fail:
[link url=http://forum.teamxbox.com/archive/index.php/t-118899.html
]http://forum.teamxbox.com/archive/index....[/link]
See, he knew the original Xbox would fail so miserable MS would bow out of consoles for good...


Well when you're right you're right.

Posted:A year ago

The games industry, people hyping the company that hands them their paycheck and analysts that more often than not get the analysis wrong. Where are all the objective experts that would speculate on different technologies and their potential for success without any affiliation with the company in question?
I guess there arent any credible ones? Name a few?

Posted:A year ago

Harsh much?

Trip as always is just a few decades to early. He started EA which even with just that ensures he never need prove himself again. But left to launch a CD based console to get around the draconian licensing from other consoles. Made it DRM and Region free. Granted his tech was right just 10 years to early. He left the console industry saying that the Mobile phone industry would be the booming area, he was right... just 10 years to early.

It is a shame Angry Birds essentially just did a more polished version of his game and hit it big time. Trip deserved the success.

This is just another example of him seeing very far into the future and taking the leap a little to early.

Posted:A year ago

Perhaps I'm on the wrong site, but it depresses me that many of these CEO's talk only of money and maxing profits . That's not why entered this industry... gamers do not want to be treated as pockets from which to take as much money as possible. Long live the indies.

Posted:A year ago

I'm interested to hear why and how he thinks the HTML browser will win on mobile. It's hardly an ideal platform to deliver compelling games. PC-based browser games are barely viable, let alone the challenges of browser performance on a mobile device. And promoting browser based games (versus native apps) runs directly counter to the business model of Apple, who remain the market leader.

Posted:A year ago

For those of you accusing Trip Hawkins of pushing a position based on the interests of the company writing his check, please note:

1. Trip (unlike Alexi of Microsoft) actually created the company writing that check (and created all of the other companies who have written his check since he left Apple). He did so because he saw a need developing in the market for a particular type of entertainment that was either unserved or could be radically improved. He doesn't sell himself for a particular company...he is one of our industry's greatest analysts and visionaries creating companies that produce experiences that consumers want.

2. I don't know if Trip is the smartest guy in the games industry, but in my 21 years in the business I have never seen anyone smarter or more in tune with the underlying shifts in where the digital entertainment industry is headed. You ignore his advice and projections at your own professional peril.

3. Speaking of Sega...Sega America only survived and succeeded with their Genesis platform (back in late 1990) in getting a foothold against Nintendo because of EA and Trip's tremendous understanding of the market dynamic at the time. If he hadn't personally intervened in saving Sega's "Joe Montana Football" for its Christmas ship date, Sega America would have been "shuttered" and Nintendo would have further solidified their market dominance delaying any meaningful competition for years.

I don't mean to sound like a Trip Hawkins fanboy, but I do know the historical facts. Trip has been criticized for having a big ego and some highly speculative visions, but, like Mohammed Ali used to say, "If you can do it, it ain't bragging."

Posted:A year ago

I see where he's coming from. 'Core gamers might not see it so well, and I admit I would hate to see 'real' games go, but just look how easy it is to access browser games. Your PC doesn't have to be spectacular to play them (yes the browser is only as good as the pc, but it's a browser, naturally less needy than the graphically intense PC game). This means the 'non-gamers' will get to play 'non-games', however you see it it's certainly the best way of tapping a fairly mainstream demographic no? How many people do you know that do not play games but will surf the web? I know plenty, and I'm not talking about friends in their 20's, I'm talking about everyone else that Gamers and cool Nerds tend to ignore.
I'd like to believe the 'PC gamer' are in their plenty, so there shouldn't be any fear of it dying. I'm surprised from the comments that there have been so many close-mined rejections of Trip's ideas. While he is a bit cocky, he may have a point.

Posted:A year ago

Looking at the graphic capabilities of the browser today versus what core games did ten - 15 years ago, I would say that we will start seeing AAA quality games running in the browser - and on your tablets very soon. I am certain that if a AAA studio invested 150 million in a browser based game it would be as well accepted by the core/ pc / console gamers - if that was the audience they focussed on. This doesn't mean the death of PC games just as TV was not the death of Radio...

Posted:A year ago